Ukraine: Gontareva accuses PrivatBank of attempt to play into Kolomoisky’s hands

PrivatBank (Dnipro) has proposed repaying UAH 13.8 billion debt on refinancing to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), which will free ex-co-owner of the financial institution Ihor Kolomoisky from personal guarantees, NBU Head Valeriya Gontareva has said.

“The bank wants to repay this refinancing to us, but then they will rid Kolomoisky of all the guarantees and we will lose these pledges. Therefore we do not want PrivatBank to repay the debt,” she said.

Gontareva said the refusal of such repayment of refinancing, issued to the bank before its nationalization at the end of last year, was stipulated in the memorandum with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

“If we repay this refinancing, we will lose the pledges of third parties – real assets belonging to former owner of PrivatBank Ihor Kolomoisky and his personal guarantees,” the NBU head explained.

She stressed the central bank issued this refinancing before the nationalization of the bank only under real assets and the personal guarantees of Kolomoisky, whereas there were no such real assets to secure the corporate portfolio of loans issued by the bank itself.

“We told PrivatBank: take these pledges under available loans and then repay us refinancing or mortgage us these pledges. But they do not take it!” Gontareva said. (Interfax-Ukraine/Business World Magazine)